Sixty Seconds to Beat You Down

Around them, scattered rubble and bricks were everywhere.

Linley and Vergo stood within the debris, facing each other.

They were both unarmed, and both exuded a suffocating pressure.

However, a closer look revealed that the pressure each man exerted was distinctly different.

Vergo was entirely encased in black Armament Haki, leaving no gaps. His aura was calm and steady, like an inconspicuous bomb that appeared ordinary at first glance but harbored unimaginable destructive power.

In contrast, Linley was surrounded by surging frost, interspersed with black Armament Haki, leaving streaks of black and white "scratches" in the air. His aura was wild and ferocious, openly displaying his unrestrained power!

The collision of these two vastly different pressures seemed to warp the very space around them.

"Tsk, boring."

Vergo sneered as he looked at Linley, who was enveloped in a black and white storm. "If you were a Paramecia Devil Fruit User, I might be a little more wary. After all, Paramecia abilities have many strange things."

"But you're a Zoan. Even if it's a Mythical Zoan, it's still a Zoan Devil Fruit."

Vergo spoke slowly. "Zoan users can only change their own bodies. No matter how fierce the storm around you is, it ultimately can't cause substantial damage, just like your cold air earlier. It might give me goosebumps at best."

"You're playing tricks," Vergo stared intently at Linley, seemingly searching for proof of his fear.

"Pre-battle speeches are so dull, Vergo!"

Linley let out a hearty laugh. "You know? In the Coliseum, you can't hype up the crowd like that!"

"You should do this—"

Linley raised his fist, extended his thumb, and then pointed his thumb downwards at Vergo, shouting with a laugh:

"In sixty seconds, I'll knock you down!"

[Energy Value]: 1000/1800.
Hero Skill: Icebound Domain - Armament Haki Form: Completely abandons the defensive properties of Armament Haki, greatly increasing personal speed and power. Consumes 10 Energy Value per second!

After Linley delivered his pre-battle declaration.

The deserted street fell into silence.

Suddenly, a piece of rubble landed.

Pat.

At that moment, Linley and Vergo seemed to receive the signal to begin their fight simultaneously, launching attacks at each other's vital points!

Linley threw a punch wrapped in frost and Armament Haki.

Vergo, however, simply extended a single finger.

Marine Six Powers - Shigan!

This was Vergo's hidden trump card. He had initially thought he wouldn't need to exert himself this much against a rookie who didn't even know how to use Armament Haki, but too many things had exceeded his expectations. He wanted to end the fight quickly!

Shigan involved gathering all of one's strength into the index finger, then launching a high-speed stab with the hardened finger. The fingertip possessed the striking power of a bullet, capable of easily piercing through flesh or even steel.

His Armament Haki-imbued index finger aimed directly at Linley's throat, thrusting forward!

But Linley was waiting precisely for this moment!

He was all too familiar with Shigan, one of Vergo's signature techniques. He had been wary of this move throughout their previous exchanges, and now Linley had finally found his opportunity.

The instant Linley's fist and Vergo's Shigan crossed paths, Linley's fist suddenly opened, seizing Vergo's finger.

Then, Linley twisted his body, slung Vergo's arm over his shoulder, and slammed him towards the ground!

Vergo had no time to react and could only use the Rokushiki technique, Tekkai, to brace himself.

Boom!

Vergo was slammed to the ground by Linley, but the impact didn't harm him. Instead, he found an opening, propped himself up with one hand, and kicked towards Linley's neck!

Compared to his fists, Vergo's kicks were more rapid and dangerous, but Linley had no intention of dodging.

In terms of pure "strength," Vergo, with his entire body hardened by Armament Haki, was clearly a level above Linley.

Linley's only advantage against Vergo was the extreme "skill" he possessed under the Armament Haki form of Icebound Domain!

Linley suddenly stomped his right foot, sinking half his lower leg into the ground. Simultaneously, he raised his left forearm, gripping his left wrist with his right hand, and forcefully blocked Vergo's kick with his left forearm.

Then, Linley clenched his right fist and smashed it fiercely towards Vergo's face!

Bang!

Vergo gritted his teeth, continuing to use his hardened Armament Haki to defend against Linley's assault. He had intended to use his kick to create distance from Linley, but Linley had forcefully dragged him into a close-quarters struggle that was extremely disadvantageous for him.

And all of this was within Linley's plan.

In close-quarters combat, Vergo primarily had three types of moves:

Fists, Shigan, and kicks.

Facing Shigan, Linley chose to use the momentum for a throw!

Facing kicks, Linley chose to block forcefully before retaliating with a punch!

As for punches?

Vergo, who was being suppressed, roared, slammed his hand on the ground, and sprang up. He clenched his other fist and aimed a punch at Linley's chest!

Bang!

Linley gritted his teeth, blood trickling from between them.

I can't give him a chance to recover!

Vergo made up his mind, clenched both fists, and landed heavy blows wrapped in black Armament Haki on Linley, one after another.

On the other hand, Linley had completely abandoned defense. His fists, imbued with frost and Armament Haki, launched counterattacks against Vergo, punch after punch!

When it came to punches, in his most skilled area, Linley unhesitatingly chose to brawl head-on!

Bang bang bang bang bang!

Four fists crossed, moving so fast they created afterimages.

Both their bodies took heavy punches from each other simultaneously. Their feet were planted on the ground, and they strained with all their might to maintain their footing!

Low growls rumbled from their throats:

"Ver—go!"

"Lin—ley Bar—ik!"

Bang!

Bang!

Both their faces took a heavy punch from the other, but their gazes remained locked on each other.

"Such heavy fists!"

Both men had the same thought, but Vergo's thoughts went further:

"This guy's fists can hurt me even when I'm in my Armament Haki state!"

I can't drag this out; I need to end this quickly.

"Die!"

Vergo extended his index finger, and Shigan struck out again.

Linley once again turned his fist into a palm, grabbing Vergo's finger with speed almost invisible to the naked eye, and then used the momentum for a throw!

Vergo's face contorted in mid-air. He suddenly stomped his legs, using Geppo, one of the Rokushiki, to slightly shift the direction of Linley's throw. He broke free from Linley and delivered a heavy kick to the back of his neck.

The attack was incredibly fast, but Linley, relying on his superhuman nerve reaction speed, managed to respond in time.

According to the plan—

Kick, therefore, block!

Block, therefore, strike!

Bang!

He blocked the kick with his left arm, which was already swollen and numb, and then followed up with an uppercut that landed squarely in Vergo's abdomen amidst Linley's roar!

"This is what I was waiting for!" Vergo thought.

When it came to ground combat, it was now impossible to create distance between himself and Linley. No matter what move he used, Linley would immediately close in and grapple with him.

But, the world is three-dimensional, after all.

If ground combat was disadvantageous, there was still the sky!

Geppo, one of the Marine Six Powers, allowed one to walk in the air as if climbing stairs.

By using Geppo to ascend into the sky, he could create distance between himself and Linley!

Using Linley's uppercut as an opening, Vergo immediately used Geppo, enduring the pain in his abdomen, and kicked several times in the air, flying up into the sky.

"Hoo, that's better."

Vergo took a deep breath. "He can't maintain that move for long. Once his stamina runs out, it will be my victory."

However, the next second, a shadow suddenly appeared above Vergo, blocking the light from above.

"If you want the head of Linley Barik, come and take it yourself."

"Does [JOKER] really like meddling in other people's affairs from the shadows?"

"Does he think he's so high and mighty, looking down and watching the show?"

"What do you think the fate of ordinary people is!"

Vergo looked up and saw a heel, wreathed in a black and white storm, smashing down towards him.

"It's this fast..."

That was Vergo's only thought before he was kicked towards the ground by Linley, who had leaped into the air!

Linley's roar echoed from the sky:

"Whether it's you or [JOKER]—"

"Get down!"

Hero Skill: Dragon's Rage.

Bang!